Strategy 1 - Expressing Gratitude: Counting your blessings for what you have (either to a close other or privately, through contemplation or a journal) or conveying your gratitude and appreciation to one or more individuals whom you have never properly thanked.
Strategy 2 - Cultivating Optimism: Keeping a journal in which you imagine and write about the best possible future for yourself or practising to look at the bright side of every situation.
Strategy 3 - Avoiding Overthinking and Social Comparison: Using strategies (such as distraction) to cut down on how often you dwell on your problems and compare yourself with others.
Strategy 4 - Practicing Acts of Kindness: Doing good things for others, whether friends or strangers, either directly or anonymously, either spontaneously or planned.
Strategy 5 - Nurturing Relationships: Picking a relationship in need of strengthening and investing time and energy in healing, cultivating, affirming, and enjoying it.
Strategy 6 - Developing Strategies for Coping: Practicing ways to endure or surmount a recent stress, hardship, or trauma.
Strategy 7 - Learning to Forgive: Keeping a journal or writing a letter in which you work on letting go of anger and resentment toward one or more individuals who have hurt or wronged you.
Strategy 8 - Doing More Activities that Truly Engage You: Increase the number experiences at home and work in which you "lose" yourself, which are challenging and absorbing (i.e. flow experiences).
Strategy 9 - Savoring Life's Joys: Paying close attention, taking delight, and replaying life's momentary pleasures, and wonders, through thinking, writing, drawing, or sharing with another.
Strategy 10 - Committing to Your Goals: Picking one, two or three significant goals that are meaningful to you and devoting time and effort to pursuing them.
Strategy 11 - Practicing Religion and Spirituality: Becoming more involved in your church, temple , or mosque or reading and pondering spiritually themed books.
Strategy 12 - Taking Care of Your Body: Engaging in physical activity, meditating, and smiling and laughing.
Get inspired to apply the twelve happiness strategies in your life by exploring the links below and from the menu above (12 Happiness Strategies), and by then applying the lessons from the corresponding "Inspire-U-2" modules in your life. Enjoy!